Billy walked through the wooded area pushing a large wheelbarrow full of concrete, attempting to avoid the tree roots in the uneven ground. After being called away from work for the unscheduled meeting with Lucas, he had gotten some lunch with his friend and started headed back to Juniper House to continue his working day; however, his drive was interrupted by another unexpected request for his company.
Usually Billy would be happy about being in such high demand, he had found himself feeling neglected and somewhat lonely these days; however, he did have things that required his attention at Juniper House and these interruptions where causing an inconvenience. Still, he could never refuse the request of his old friend and he had dropped everything to rush here to meet her.
'Careful, I don't want tripping over a root and damaging those' Gail warned, as she led him through the woods casually.
Billy let out a small laugh and tried to follow her lead, stepping only where she had in an attempt to stay upright. 'Let's not worry about me trippin' and these heavy things fallin' on me, as long as the concrete survives then it's all good right?' he asked sarcastically, in disbelief of her priorities.
Gail smiled, amused at his comment, and gave a small shrug. 'As long as we're on the same page everything's just peachy' she laughed and headed through the trees using the route she had taken over a hundred times before, not fazed by the overgrown foliage all around her.
Billy watched her curiously for a moment, unsure of what this casual meeting was and what she required of him. Gail had tolerated his presence recently knowing that he was Lucas' friend now; however, she had not made any attempt to rekindle their old friendship and her request to see him now was strange.
'Oh quit dissecting everything and just watch your step, this terrain isn't as stable as you're used to and I don't need another task to add to my list should you hurt yourself' Gail advised, not hiding her knowledge of his thoughts. She sensed the unruly spirits watching them closely, knowing that they disapproved of her current company and she did not want Billy to be out here for any longer than he had to be.
Billy was used to Gail's uncanny way of reading him and continued to focus on his footing, shrugging off her insight. 'I'll stop dissectin' if you give me some small hint of what this is' he sighed, feeling his arms aching under the wait of his cargo and wondering why he was here rather than Lucas.
'Cause Lucas is the one who caused this particular task and I don't trust his ability to clean up his mess right now' Gail answered his unspoken question with agitation, then led him towards the clearing in the trees and her desired destination.
Billy pushed the wheelbarrow forcefully past the clearing, then let out a loud gasp when he saw the area before him and let go of the handles without thinking.
Gail quickly pushed him out of the way, preventing the heavy load from falling on his foot and ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. 'What part of be careful did you find unclear?' she asked in irritation.
Billy did not hear the question, as he could not take his focus off of what looked like an old gravesite with blank broken headstones dotted around the area. This place had a strange aura to it and the air was thick here, making it difficult for him to breath easily. He had been to this Mansion on countless of occasions and was baffled as to how he had never realised that this small cemetery existed. There was something oddly inviting about this strange place and he began walking forward subconsciously, feeling a strong tugging in his brain; however, he stopped in his tracks when he felt a soft warm hand suddenly caress his cheek and he allowed it to control him.
Gail gripped Billy's cheeks gently in her hands and turned him to face her, sensing his confusion and uncertainty. The spirits were active not far from their position and she started to doubt her decision to enlist Billy's help with this. 'It's alright, this isn't as bad as it seems-' she started to explain softly, sensing his awareness beginning to set in.
'So this isn't a graveyard and there aren't dead bodies of God knows who buried over there?' Billy interrupted judgementally, unsure of what he had been brought into and not liking the strange feeling of being watched here.
Gail let out a small frustrated laugh and took a few steps forward, sensing the spirit's moving in on them and willing Joshua to assist to prevent her from having to take them on. She knew that Joshua had kept a close eye on her and would be aware of her recent failed attempt to regain his Mother from Rosemary; however, she had tried, albeit not as hard as she could have, and she hoped that her failure did not impact Joshua's previous loyalty to her.
This situation was not good and the disapproval radiating off of Billy was only making the spirit's more hostile, causing her to keep her darkness on standby should she be required to act. When Gail sensed Joshua's presence and the spirit's stop just outside of the area, she let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned towards Billy, knowing better than to prolong this intrusion on their space. 'Look, you're friends with Lucas regardless of what you know he is and he trusts you. I can't enlist Matt's help as I doubt he'd react well to this place and I don't want to cause him to have an episode...Lucas is so stubborn that he won't sort out the mess he's created and I refuse to allow a resting place like this to be neglected in such a way. All I need from you is to get those concrete blocks over here and I'll figure out the rest, you don't need to involve yourself in anything else and I doubt you want to either' she responded calmly, hating that she required help but knowing that Billy would come through for her due to their previous close friendship.
Billy let out a long sigh and shook his head in disbelief of what he was doing, this was crazy and he had no idea who was buried here; however, there was something about Gail that always made him want to please her and even though they had not been close in a long time, his feelings for her had not changed. 'Does Lucas know we're here?' he asked finally, suspecting that his friend was unaware of what his Wife was doing.
'Lucas is busy elsewhere and I'm not in the habit of asking for permission Billy' Gail stated bluntly, not appreciating the insinuation that she required authority to go somewhere in her home.
Billy held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, then took hold of the handles and moved the wheelbarrow closer to where Gail stood. 'I'm not the enemy Gail, just tryin' to figure out whether I'm gonna be reprimanded for some unlawful activity by our sociopathic Sheriff' he said sarcastically and smiled at her warmly to show that he did not intend her any offence.
'You're more likely to get into that sort of trouble with our sociopathic Sheriff' Gail laughed, amused at his willingness to drop his guard around her and regarded him pleasantly. 'Stick with me Doctor, you've got a better chance of making it out unscathed' she advised sweetly, feigning innocence, then led him closer to the damaged gravestones and nodded her appreciation of his assistance.
Lucas waited patiently outside of his favourite restaurant for his remaining guests to arrive, pondering over the best course of action to achieve what he wanted with the least amount of resistance. After his meeting and the conversation with Caleb on their parole, he had chosen to invite his Wife out for a nice meal knowing that she would be harder to control than Doctor Charlton and Preacher Jones in a private setting.
Lucas was confident of his ability to get through to his Wife, convincing her that whatever was expected of her was for the greater good of Trinity; however, he was not stupid enough to broach the subject while they were alone and technically it was not him who put this suggestion forward anyway.
After devising his plan, Lucas had called home expecting Gail to be taking care of their children and had been disappointed when Abe answered the telephone. Abe had assured him that Gail was close and advised that he would ensure she got his message. Gail knew better than to stand him up; therefore, he suspected her lateness now was more a show of defiance and he had been fully prepared for it. He would not allow her lateness to bother him and he continued to wait patiently for her arrival.
When Billy pulled up in his large brown pickup truck and rushed to the passenger side door to help Gail out gentlemanly, Lucas tensed and watched the pair disapprovingly. He felt his rage begin to stir when Gail ran her hands down her short beige dress and linked her arm in Billy's, as he led her to the entrance where Lucas stood waiting and smiled smugly Lucas' disapproval.
'Oh don't look at me like that, the girl needed a ride so how could I refuse?' Billy asked in his defence, seeing the anger in Lucas' eyes.
Gail released her arm from Billy's and raised her hand slowly to her husband, smiling when he took it instinctively. 'You didn't really expect me to get in a cab with some random stranger and ride here all on my lonesome, did you Soulmate?' she asked sweetly, feigning innocence.
Lucas was taken by her sweet scent and brought her hand to his lips gentlemanly, then pulled her to him and nuzzled his nose into her neck. 'You belong to me Love' he whispered in her ear possessively, then kissed her neck softly.
'I doubt anyone could forget that Master Buck' Gail whispered sarcastically, then waved pleasantly at the group of women who were watching them closely as they passed.
Lucas smiled charmingly at the women, then led Billy and Gail into the restaurant and away from nosy onlookers. As they walked through the busy main area, he noticed that Gail was smiling pleasantly at the diners they passed and he admired her ability to perform appropriately, regardless of what was going on in their personal lives. Gail always outwardly acted like a lady, not allowing her true feelings to show and he supposed he should applaud Peter for doing something right in his parenting for that talent.
'My Mother, not my Father, but I'm sure the complement is appreciated' Gail whispered in his ear, reminding him that she was able to read his thoughts and smiled when she sensed his guard shoot up. 'There you go, a surprise is always much more entertaining' she joked, continuing to smile warmly at the people they passed.
'You know I always aim to entertain' Lucas smiled smugly, then pushed her gently in front of him and rested his hand on the small of her back affectionately.
Gail inhaled deeply as she felt his hand stroke the bottom of her back and glanced over her shoulder at him. 'With Billy tagging along here, I wonder who you're truly hoping to entertain tonight Sheriff' she said suspiciously, then shook her head at his mock hurt look.
As they neared the private section of the restaurant, Lucas could not resist her sweet scent and pulled her to him again, moving his hand to her stomach and stroking her softly. 'As always, my attention is solely focussed on you Mrs Buck' he whispered, then nuzzled his nose into her neck and began kissing it affectionately.
Billy rushed ahead at the sight of the public display and shot Gail an apologetic look as he passed her. Gail's eyes followed Billy until she spotted their usual table and let out a long sigh, her suspicions now being confirmed. Adam and his Wife Janet sat beside Selena and her boyfriend Bob, Rita and Ben sat beside Bob while Merlyn sat with an empty seat on either side of her, before Billy sat down between her and Ben.
Two seats remained vacant at the head of the table and Gail shook her head in irritation at the scene. 'I hate you' she said quietly, not in the mood for a prolonged public display tonight.
'Aww hell Love, these are your people...Don't tell me that you regret your alliances already' Lucas smirked, then led her to her seat and sat down beside her.
'It's about time, we only have the babysitter until 9pm' Adam said impatiently and shot Lucas a look of disdain.
'Oh I'm sure your babysitter will fall all over herself to work overtime should she get a call from our charming Sheriff' Gail stated sarcastically, giving him an irritated look to show that she did not want to be here either.
'As long as he's payin' the extra, I ain't complainin'' Adam responded, trying to remain civil and happy that Gail had joined them.
'The state not payin' you enough Mayor? Maybe you should rethink your policies and redirect some of the taxpayers funds' Lucas mocked smugly, knowing that Janet's recent large investment in Goat Town was not yet paying off.
Gail stroked her hand down Lucas' leg and squeezed his knee tight, signalling for him to back off, then reached for the Wine list in an attempt an acceptable way through whatever this was.
Selena discreetly caught Gail's attention and took the glass of Wine from Bob's hand before he could drink it, then pushed in gently towards her friend. 'Here you go Mrs Buck, an appetiser to wet your whistle while we wait' she offered, then smiled when Gail lifted up the glass and nodded her appreciation.
Gail took a long sip of the Wine and savoured the cool liquid travelling down her throat. She had been drinking far too much lately, partially due to the guilt she felt over her behaviour with the children for the past couple of weeks; however, the taste of it now was exquisite and she would do whatever it took to keep her sane.
Lucas stroked Gail's back softly and pulled her to him, then placed a soft reassuring kiss on her lips. 'Alright people, due to unforeseen circumstances our previous party was called off. That doesn't mean that this one is allowed to get off lightly, so the celebration starts now with the adults that count' he said to the table, sitting back slightly to allow the Waiter place the bottles of Wine on the table and fill their glasses.
'Oh this is your game? Really?' Gail asked suspiciously, not believing his motive for a second.
Lucas smiled down at her devilishly and shot her a mischievous wink, then signalled for his guests to raise their glasses. 'To my beautiful Wife, happy belated birthday' he toasted, his smile growing wider when the table erupted in well wishes.
Gail rolled her eyes at this apparent celebration in her honour and smiled warmly at their guests, then downed her glass of Wine and signalled for Lucas to pour her another.
Lucas watched his Wife as she monitored Billy and Merlyn closely, they had all drank a lot by this late hour and it was evident that alcohol is what was missing from Merlyn's previous relationship with Matt to allow the girl to truly let go of her inhibitions. He stroked his fingers through Gail's hair softly, attempting to take her attention away from her Cousin and allow her to have some fun, then pulled her chair closer to him when she did not acknowledge his attempts and gripped her chin gently.
Gail had sensed Lucas watching her and had wanted to allow herself to sober up before she gave him her full attention; however, it was evident that he was not going to allow that. This meal had been nice, their present company had all survived and so far Lucas had not shown any ulterior motives. Gail knew Lucas well enough and this was not his end game, the people here were well selected as she could not show her true feelings in front of them all and she suspected that had been her Husband's intension, to enable him to do something unexpected which she may not approve of.
Lucas smiled when Gail turned fully towards him, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand casually. She was very relaxed and drunk, he sensed her playful nature clawing to be released; however, he also sensed her suspicion and applauded her for not being fooled by this occasion, even in her drunken state.
'Just do it...the nights almost over and all I want to do right now is rip that shirt off with my teeth, so just get the unpleasantness over with already and I'm sure I'll find an appropriate way to punish you later' Gail said quietly, growing bored of the wait and licking her lips seductively.
Lucas laughed at her attempt to rush him and cupped her chin in his hands, then kissed her passionately, disregarding the prying looks of the people on their table. He had a plan which he was going to execute a later; however, it was hard to resist her when she got like this. 'Patience Love, all in good time' he whispered in her ear and nipped it playfully.
'My Husband wants me to have patience, when I'm sure all of you good people are wondering why we're really here too' Gail announced loudly to their present company, ignoring Lucas' attempt to silence her and shot a wink at Selena when the woman smiled at her brazenness.
Lucas glanced at Billy for assistance, who was shaking his head in warning, then forced a charming smile for the table. 'We ain't even done the gifts yet-' he started, trying to regain control of the group after he sensed their curiosity spike.
'I got her a spa treatment, Rita got her a clothes voucher and she couldn't care less what the Mayor here got her...I'm sure your present will be just tantalising Sheriff and the girl clearly wants to get you home to show her appreciation of your efforts, so why not just cut to the chase?' Selena interrupted sweetly, deciding to assist her friend and savouring going against Lucas when he could not act out against her here.
Lucas inhaled deeply in agitation at the interruption and forced his demeanour to remain calm. He gave Selena a threatening look at the challenge; however, he forced himself to relax when Gail trailed her hand up the inside of his thigh, in a reminder that Selena was off limits for the moment due to their strange closeness of late.
'In case you all didn't know, Lucas felt the need to buy every property owned by my family and gift it to me...apart from one that is. Merlyn gave me my present on the day and I really don't need anything from the Mayor, so what else is there?' Gail asked the group, gently rubbing her hand over Lucas' obstructed manhood teasingly and stared up at him longingly.
Lucas sensed the animal inside her clawing to be released and saw the desire in her eyes. This was not how the night was supposed end; however, she had seemingly turned their company against him and his own desire for her was becoming too intense to resist, therefore, he decided to be honest and not drag this out any longer. 'You're right, this isn't just a celebration of your birthday, it's a celebration of your promotion' he said casually and took a long sip of his Wine, leaving her to digest the statement.
Gail tensed at the comment and straightened in her chair. 'Promotion? What do you mean?' she asked bluntly, her mind fuzzy due to the alcohol and unable to force herself to relax.
'It's been decided that you're the most qualified person to take over Jack and Mark's position in the Trinity Guardian...welcome to the big time Mrs Buck' Lucas smirked, sensing her confusion and smiled when all but Selena erupted in applause at the news.
Gail stared at Lucas angrily for a moment and was ready to release her darkness, in reply to his incessant need to try to control her; however, she felt Selena's heel dig into her foot and forced a smile for their company, knowing that this was not the time or the place to lose control.
'Congratulations Gail, you get to work with the big dog's now!' Adam exclaimed, happy that he would officially have someone he trusted in the higher ranks now.
Lucas wrapped his arm around Gail's waist when he sensed her darkness just below the surface and pulled her to him, then leaned in close. 'It's alright Love, I expect you'll make the punishment count when we get home so you might as well put your Mother's training to good use while we're still in public' he whispered playfully in her ear and laughed, amused at her clear irritation of his actions.
-To be continued-